---
Aurora wasn't lying.
She drove them to the hills above the city in her matte black Range Rover. The air was cooler up there, tinted with pine and sky. The kind of place people went to fall in love.
Or fall apart.
Elara sat on the picnic blanket Aurora had thrown down, knees pulled to her chest. The silence stretched.
"You don't bring people here, do you?" Elara asked.
Aurora shook her head. "Not people. Just you."
Elara looked at her. "Why?"
Aurora shrugged, eyes distant. "Because this is the only place where I don't want to ruin things. Not even you."
A pause.
Then Elara whispered, "Why do you think you'll ruin me?"
Aurora turned toward her, gaze fierce. "Because I know how this ends. I'll want too much, push too hard. One day, I'll break you and act like it was your fault."
Her voice was raw.
Elara swallowed hard. "Maybe I don't break that easy."
"You think you don't," Aurora said. "But you haven't seen how cruel I can be when I feel powerless."
---
🖤 A Lustful Tease
Later, back in Aurora's penthouse, things spiraled again.
They were lying on the plush velvet couch, Elara half on top of her, fingers tangling in Aurora's silk shirt.
"You talk too much," Elara whispered.
"You like it," Aurora said, her voice low.
"No," Elara murmured, "I like this—"
And she kissed her.
Hot. Deep. Slow.
Aurora responded like she'd been holding back a storm. Her hands slid up Elara's thighs, under her skirt, her fingers tracing dangerous lines that made Elara tremble.
Clothes started to come off.
Breaths shortened. Skin flushed. Hips tangled.
But just as Aurora's mouth reached Elara's collarbone—
Her phone buzzed. Again. And again.
She groaned. "Ignore it," Elara said, breathless.
But Aurora didn't.
She pushed Elara off her gently and picked up her phone. Her expression changed. Cold. Controlled.
"I have to go."
Elara blinked. "Now?"
Aurora stood, already buttoning her shirt. "It's business."
"You always do this—pull me in and leave."
Aurora turned away. "Don't wait up."
Then she was gone.
---
💢 Jealousy—But This Time, Elara's
An hour later, Elara was still sitting on the couch, half-dressed, hurt.
She grabbed Aurora's iPad. She didn't mean to look—truly. But when the screen lit up, a message preview was already there.
> "Mia: You still owe me dinner. I'm free tonight. 😉"
Elara stared. Her throat tightened. That same Mia. Again?
Was that where Aurora went?
Anger, white-hot, surged.
She threw the iPad on the floor—not enough to break it, but enough to feel something.
---
🌫️ Later That Night
Aurora returned just past midnight. Silent, tired. She threw her coat down, loosened her hair.
"Elara?"
No answer.
She walked into the bedroom and found her curled on the edge of the bed, fully clothed, back to her.
"You're mad."
Elara didn't speak.
Aurora sighed. "It wasn't Mia. I was handling my father's lawyer."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Elara asked, her voice hollow.
"Because I didn't want to see you look at me like that. Like you do now."
Elara sat up. "Like what?"
"Like I'm a disappointment."
Elara stood. "You are. Not because you left. Because you don't trust me."
Aurora clenched her jaw. "You want trust? Then don't assume I'm sleeping with someone just because they text."
"You would've done the same!"
Aurora laughed bitterly. "Exactly. Because I know what it means to be hurt."
Her voice cracked.
Elara's anger melted slightly. "Aurora…"
But Aurora stepped back. "Let's not pretend we're something we're not. You want comfort. I want control. That doesn't make a relationship. That makes a disaster."
And she walked out again.
---
🌪️ Flashback: Aurora's Past (Quick Scene)
Aurora sat on the rooftop as a teenager. Rain pouring.
A girl's voice echoed in her mind:
"You're too much, Aurora. You scare me."
She had begged her to stay. Cried. Screamed. And still… she left.
Ever since then, Aurora chose to leave first.
Always leave first. Before they do.
---
🕯️ The Morning After
Elara found her asleep on the couch, curled up like a child, blanket half-fallen, dark circles under her eyes.
Something in her chest cracked.
She kneeled beside her, brushing a hand over Aurora's cheek.
"You're not a monster," she whispered. "You're just scared."
Aurora didn't wake. But her hand reached out in her sleep—gripping Elara's tightly.
Like she knew.
---